Lead Free Solder.

[Baldbloke]

I used to do a lot of soldering. Not so much now. Very rarely in fact.
Back in the day, solder wire was a mix of tin/lead. 60/40, If I recall correctly. My soldering skills were adequate.

Nowadays when soldering I have been using lead free stuff. I dislike using it. The joints are poor and lead free needs so much heat I'm often concerned about damaging the components I'm working on. (It doesn't help that I have to use a gas soldering iron.) But anyway, gas irons worked fine on the old leaded solder.

I just had a quick google. Opinions are mixed on the health aspects of leaded vs non leaded.
Is it illegal to use leaded solder in the UK?

 

[Baldbloke]

It isn't illegal to use - certainly not for hobbyist applications, and as you rightly say is a lot easier to work with.

It's still readily available from most places e.g. RS Components:
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/solder/7568881
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/solder/8007661

Thanks for the link, Armageus. Unfortunately for me, I can't use it. I solder mainly for work. I am employed by a large corporate concern. If they discovered I was using "proper solder" I'd probably get a polite letter from H&S.
Then again, I might get some for home use though.